


A Mother's Love

by CivilYouth



Series: Rough Starts & Graceful Beginnings [1]
Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: Baby Marianne, Dawn Does Not Yet Exist, Evening Drabble, Graceful Beginnings, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Literary Image of Marianne's Mother, Minor Character(s), Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-24 00:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12001416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CivilYouth/pseuds/CivilYouth
Summary: Before our story took place, Marianne was once just a child in her mother's arms, untouched by heartbreak and safe from the evils of her world. When did things begin to change for the princess?





	A Mother's Love

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go! I've had ideas brewing for this one ever since I became enchanted with the movie but it's been so long since I've written. Please excuse me if my writing seems rough, I'm still a little rusty. Also, summaries are not my forte. You'll see my version of Marianne's absent mother in Strange Magic (Aspen) as well as an appearance from Baby Marianne.

Golden rays of light illuminated the Fields as sunlight quickly withdrew from the sky, creating beautiful splashes of dark amber and yellow like honey painted over green grass. Spring flowers, speckles of violet and yellow and red and white, sparkled brilliantly in the fading light before closing their buds altogether. Far beyond the vast reach of the Fields lay a thick, ragged band of black: The Dark Forest, a world inexplicably different and seemingly out of reach. The Fairy Queen gazed upon her domain with a glint of pride, pride for the beauty of her lands and the goodness of her people. She looked down to the villages of creatures ruled by Fairies, the elves and the pixies and the brownies and even Fairies themselves, all of which the Queen loved and protected equally.

Yet even as she dutifully watched over her beloved Kingdom, one creature she kept closer to her heart above all else. A bundle stirred in her arms, a baby swaddled in pink satin rose petals. The Queen soothed her child with a hushed lullaby, stroking her daughter’s head tenderly and affectionately. Watching the child sleep as soundly as a mouse, she studied the face of her princess, born from the Union of King and Queen. Children often grew out of youthful rosy cheeks and cherub faces, but this child inherently carried the warm eyes of her mother, the nose of her father. The Queen imagined her child’s unmistakable patch of brown hair would grow like a wild thicket with soft golden hues. More than anything, the Fairy Queen believed – no, _knew_ – this crown child possessed a regal heart destined to one day burn with the same love for her people and pride in her Kingdom. The mother’s heart melted with an outpouring of Love as she drew the little princess closer to her chest, imagining an incredible young Fairy wielding fiery determination and natural grace. A Fairy embodying the name which she was given.

_**Marianne.** _

_“Aspen, my love.”_

Long, slender fingers grasped her shoulder, and Aspen turned to face her husband, blinking away her thoughts at hearing her name. Trading his usual King’s armor for dark green robes that disguised his small gut, Dagda still wore the crown upon his head, the purple gem marking him as royalty. Aspen smiled at the noble, kind-hearted man before her. Dagda returned the gesture warmly, trailing one hand down to the small of her back.

“What’s on your mind, darling?”

Aspen meant to share her visions of Marianne, but wit overcame her as she replied, “Just wondering when you got that tinge of grey in your beard.”

The Fairy King, stroking his blonde bush of a beard defensively, eyed the smirk playing at her lips. While Dagda frowned at her sarcasm, Aspen felt her smirk break out into a mischievous grin and laughed under her breath. Oh how Fairy women were plagued with vanity, but leave it to men for sensitivity to age! In truth, neither rulers had yet seen half so many Springs as elders. Aspen shook her head and giggled at her husband’s blushing face, granting mercy on him from her teasing and returning her attention to Marianne.

“Our daughter. I believe our daughter will be fiercer than any Queen that has ever been.”

Dagda’s frown softened at her truth and peered down at his newborn resting peacefully in Aspen’s arms. Marianne already seemed so much like her mother, so independently natured and strangely curious.

He nodded. “I see your heart in Marianne.”

Aspen’s eyebrows knitted together, unsatisfied. “She will have the wisdom of us both to guide her, but her rule will be her own. I see a princess with a knight’s heart and a queenly resolve. Fiercer and braver than any Fairy.”

“Fiercer than a Goblin?” Dagda interjected, quelling the passion he saw burning in her amber eyes.

Her ears perked at the thought, wings twitching in consideration, before she finally agreed, “Yes, more so than a Goblin, and just as tough.”

Dagda let out a deep sigh at his wife’s comparison of their daughter to a Goblin. Creatures in the Dark Forest thrived on shadows and darkness and dirt, shunning the light with nasty hatred and scaring any intruders from the border. Dangerous and unrefined, a description for Goblins most commonly preferred by Fairies, were not qualities he liked to associate with when thinking of his children. Not daring to cross his wife any further, he resigned from the matter and hastily changed the subject.

“Rumors have been spreading around the Kingdom of a new ruler there. There’s been no official announcement, but if it’s true then **-** "

“Then it means the old King has passed.” Aspen finished.

News from the Dark Forest rarely came since Goblins kept mostly to themselves, but to the Fairy Queen the tragic event of a King’s death warranted at least an announcement of a new ruler. The last notice she remembered getting from the former Goblin King was a blunt warning against her subjects venturing past the primrose border with a vague reference to punishments. She once flirted with the idea of establishing good relations with the Dark Forest before taking the throne but her hopes died with an outraged declination from their King at her attempt. For so many Springs now past, the relationship between Goblin and Fairy had become increasingly strained, practically nonexistent if not for the prevailing grudges against each other.

Dagda went on, “I recall that the Queen gave birth to a son some seasons ago. If their son is succeeding to the throne, that means the lad is just barely into his teens.”

Aspen shot an alarmed glance to her husband, but he stared out to the setting sun obliviously. Her teeth bit down into her plum lip, contemplating the state of chaos brewing in the Dark Forest. A forgotten memory resurfaced when her husband brought up the new King’s birth, not too long after her wings came in –

_**Hundreds of terrifying screams singing through the Forest and echoing throughout the Fields, chilling down to even Fairies’ hollow bones. Elves and brownies barricading doors for days after, Fairies in the palace readying for an ambush. Fear reigned for nearly an entire moon until word finally came that the Goblins cried in celebration for a prince’s birth –** _

She shuddered when thinking of the eerie Goblin cries so long ago. The prince rejoiced by Goblins, wounds of his father’s death still fresh in his heart, was now forced to take his throne so early on. Aspen felt a surge of pity for the new King, for a Goblin outside of her acquaintance.

“The poor soul…” She murmured.

Dagda blinked in surprise. “You sympathize with the lad?”

Aspen paused and faced her husband with all seriousness. “No one, be he Fairy or Goblin, should have to bear the weight of a Kingdom before he is ready.”

Choosing his response carefully, Dagda replied, “How can any one person ever be ready? When our courtship began, I never once believed myself fully prepared for the responsibilities of this crown.”

“I chose you for your heart. My Love for you is stronger than any Potion, but I also saw a Love for our Kingdom that matched mine. Do you truly believe I’d accept your proposal if I didn’t think you could rule beside me? I trust you to protect our Kingdom, above yourself and above us. You have never failed me and I know you never will.” Aspen’s thoughts of pity shifted to a tender Love for her husband, and the softest smile grazed her lips as she spoke.

Words escaped Dagda entirely at his wife’s confession, the unwavering conviction in her cool voice. She spoke her mind more freely and plainly than any Fairy, and her sincerity amazed him all the while. He admired everything that she was, a blazing spirit shining over the Fields like the Sun, playfully warm in one moment and scorching hot another. Would Marianne become so much like Aspen, strong and fierce and loving and just?

Aspen suddenly let out a jaw-cracking yawn as her dark wings flared instinctively. The Sun had disappeared from the sky, leaving a bright silvery moon lighting the Fields in a dazzling sea of stars. A small sound came from the bundle in her arms and Marianne finally opened her hazel eyes to Aspen and Dagda. As if on cue, three colorful pixies emerged carrying a vine-woven cradle when the princess scrunched her face in tiny sniffles. The Queen handed her daughter over to the pixies without hesitation.

“Tend to her needs, and then put her to rest.” Aspen instructed them as she watched her daughter float away, hearing chirps from the pixies in acknowledgement. “Shall we retire for the night, my dear? You must be tired.” Dagda suggested as he offered her his arm.

The Queen hummed in agreement, gingerly wrapping her hand into the crook of his elbow. With one last curious look to the black line of the Forest, she allowed him to lead her away to their chambers. The Fairy King and Queen disappeared together from the balcony to join the precious princess in slumber. One by one, lights vanished in the village below as citizens of the Fairy Kingdom settled down for the evening, elves closing doors to their huts and brownies snuggling up with loved ones in dens. A throng of grieving howls and rejoicing hoots erupted from the Dark Forest without warning, inspiring some Light creatures to slide bars over their doors. In a world utterly frightening and savage and unknown to Fairies, Goblins cried out in a final goodbye to the old King while ushering in a new era with another.

**Author's Note:**

> *begin rant*
> 
> DID YOU KNOW THAT MARIANNE IS A COMBINATION OF THE NAMES 'MARIE' AND 'ANNE', WHICH ROUGHLY TRANSLATES INTO 'REBELLION' AND 'PRAYER'/'GRACE'!?
> 
> *composes self* 
> 
> I blew up my best friend's phone for an hour when I made this discovery. 'Marianne' literally means 'Rebellious Grace'. Doesn't that sound like a certain stubborn, rebellious princess we all know? Hmm....
> 
> On a more serious note, any and all *polite* and constructive criticism is welcome since this is the first work I've written in a long time and also the first serious work I have posted on AO3. Betas are also welcome if interested.
> 
> Chao! :)


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